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A decision by prosecutors in East Timor opened the way for the now-ousted prime minister, Mari Alkatiri, to stand at the next elections. The prosecutor-general dropped investigations into whether Mr Alkatiri secretly armed a hit squad to eliminate his political rivals.

Presenter/Interviewer - Anne Barker
Speakers - East Timor's Former Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri; Senior Fretilin Party member, Filomeno Alexo.

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Finally succombing to pressure from home and abroad, East Timor's embattled prime minister signalled his intention to resign. He also accepted for the first time some of the responsibility for the crisis which gripped the nation for months. Mari Alkatiri said he will work with the country's president to establish an interim government. The resignation of foreign minister Jose Ramos-Horta, swiftly followed by several other cabinet ministers, appears to have been the factor to force Mr Alkatiri's hand.

Presenter/Interviewer - Karon Snowdon
Speakers - Mari Alkitiri, the outgoing Prime Minister of East Timor; Harold Moucho, spokesman for the President of East Timor's Parliament; Vincente Ximenes, Fretilin Party reform group